A 37-year-old man in Australia has been identified in the wake of what police believe to have been an attack by a 'massive shark' in chest-deep water that left the individual dead.

The family of a Victorian surfer who died during a horrific shark attack say they are “devastated” but would not support culling sharks off the Western Australian coast.

A shark fatally attacked surfer Steven Jeffrey Payne in Western Australia, sparking a recovery mission after his body remained missing.

Authorities have released the identity of a surfer eaten by a "massive shark" on Monday while wading in chest-deep water at a popular swimming spot.